Superintendent finalist quizzed about pay raises in Colorado

While in Denver to assess Clark County School District superintendent finalist Dwight Jones, School Board members Linda Young and Deanna Wright quizzed the Colorado education commissioner Tuesday about his decision to give eight administrators pay raises totaling $99,101.

The Clark County School Board will meet tonight to decide whether Jones or Dallas Independent School District Superintendent Michael Hinojosa will become the next superintendent of the nation's fifth-largest school district.

During the board members' visit, Colorado state Sen. Shawn Mitchell, a Republican, denounced Jones for giving discretionary pay raises to Department of Education staff before the current school year began.

He called it a "mistake" given that Colorado's classrooms are crowded and teachers are losing their jobs because of state budget cuts.

One Colorado Department of Education administrator saw her salary jump from $85,000 to $110,000. Another administrator's salary increased by $17,461 to $89,244.

Jones said he was not rewarding favorites but taking steps to save the Colorado taxpayers money, an answer that satisfied Young.

Instead of filling two vacancies created by the resignations of two assistant commissioners, Jones divided the duties among the eight administrators who received pay increases.

One administrator went from supervising four to 30 employees. The department employs 493 people.

The two assistant commissioners earned a combined $230,500 a year, so not filling their jobs will save the department $131,399 after the cost of the raises is factored in, the Colorado Department of Education said.

Young also briefly discussed her concern that Jones was not as open as he could have been during his interview with board members in Las Vegas last week. Jones did not disclose previous visits to Las Vegas over the summer and meetings with community members.

"I said we always want to clear the air and be as open as possible," Young said. "That's just my style."

Young and Wright toured the Colorado Department of Education and met with eight superintendents. School Board member Larry Mason joined them in the morning but had to leave in the afternoon.

"The Department of Education is across the street from the state Capitol," Wright said. "So that was kind of fun."

Most of what board members heard was "an echo from last week" about Jones' efforts in closing the achievement gap among minorities and increasing accountability for schools, Wright said.

Brent Husson, chairman of the Business Education Alliance for the Children of Nevada, is rooting for Jones as the next superintendent.

"It's not a knock against the other guy," Husson said. "I'm a big fan of decentralization and empowerment schools."

Husson thought Jones, 48, was more passionate in his support of empowerment schools, which are given more latitude for innovation.

However, some district insiders found Hinojosa, 54, to be the more experienced candidate for managing Clark County schools, which serve 309,000 students.

Wright and Young vetted Hinojosa Monday in Dallas, which is the nation's 14th-largest school district with almost 160,000 students.

Hinojosa earns $328,000 a year. He could also draw an estimated Texas pension of $200,000 should he take the district job, which would pay up to $270,000. Jones earns $223,860.

Wright thinks the School Board will be able to make a decision between the two finalists when it meets at 5:30 tonight at the Greer Education Center, but Young was less certain.

"Because of the open meeting law, we never talk to each other" in a group outside meetings, Young said. "You never know what's going to happen."

Contact reporter James Haug at jhaug@reviewjournal.com or 702-374-7917.